• Loading stock data...
Tuesday, December 10, 2024
Tune in on Dec. 11 at 1:05 p.m. ET for our last Future of Sports virtual summit of the year – Future of Sports: Marketing! Register Now

Eclectic Bouquet Reveals Changing Landscape of Sports

Don’t look now, but roses are playing a crucial role in this.

Sensuous, yet sporty… (Photo Credit: Softballfever.com)


My, the times, they are a changin’. Heading in to the New Year during a shortened week, scanning the headlines for a column idea it dawned on me- ROSES! Everything’s coming up roses… They serve as a perfect metaphor this month to observe just how much the sports industry has evolved and changed over the years.

The trope began January 1st with an all-time classic waged between the Georgia Bulldogs and Oklahoma Sooners during the Rose Bowl. What makes the Bulldogs 54–48 victory in the game particularly noteworthy is that it occurred not just during the Rose Bowl, but also as part of the College Football Playoffs. We all know how long that took…and of course the debate rages on.

Fans railed against the NCAA for years because of their disingenuous Bowl Championship Series system used to determine the matchup in the league’s title game. The BCS and previous iterations used a combination of polls, statistics, and computer selection methods to determine team rankings, with the top two schools left to face off in a one-and-done championship game. Prior to 2014, the Rose-and all other- Bowls were essentially window dressing; completely separate entities that had no bearing on who would emerge as the College Football Champion at season’s end.

Now, the crown is awarded at the end of a four team playoff, which involves two semifinals that rotate among the six major Bowl Games played on New Year’s Day. Two of the bowls-this year, the Rose and Sugar-act as the “first round” used to decide who will face off in the Championship game.

CFP Semifinal: A Rose by Any Other Name (Photo: Sbnation.com).

While the system is far from perfect, many are pleased that now it includes twice as many teams, involves some element of a playoff, and has two of the traditional Bowl Games remaining as a deciding factor in who wins the College Football National Championship every year.

After beating the Sooners in the Rose Bowl, the Georgia Bulldogs will play the Alabama Crimson Tide, who had to defeat the Clemson Tigers in the Sugar Bowl to make it to the College Football Playoff Championship Game. The Rose Bowl as part of a playoff leading up to a Championship Game: definitely not what the College Football “postseason” looked like when I was a little kid staying at Grandma’s to celebrate the New Year.

Later that night, fantasy football guru Matthew Berry began the New Year tweeting about ABC’s The Bachelor; infamous for the show’s climactic Rose Ceremony. One of ESPN and football’s biggest personalities has entered the fray analyzing…reality TV. (And no, that’s not my coy way of arguing that sports are the ultimate “reality TV.”)

Fantasy becomes Reality (Photo: Twitter.com)

Led by Matthew Berry and the “Fantasy Focus Football” podcast, ESPN has reached it’s sports/gaming tentacles into the tumultuous realm of overly-manufactured, rose-centric reality tv. The behemoth sports network has created a Fantasy Bachelor version of their popular esports game, complete with corresponding coverage. Did you ever envision a big-name sports personality doing play-by-play breakdowns of limo exits and date nights, forecasting who’s going to get the rose? Howard Cosell is somewhere spinning in his grave.

At the end of the month, we have Major League Baseball’s announcement of who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame- making Pete Rose an annual topic of conversation as votes are tallied in January. “How can it be a Hall of FAME without honoring the All-Time Hit King??!” (Of course Pete Rose has been ineligible for consideration ever since he was caught gambling on sport and banned from baseball by the MLB).

And then we hit the “character clause…” (Photo: cbssports.com)

This year, that conversation has fallen into the periphery, with the real focus moving on to a debate about Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Steroids, and the role of Wins Above Replacement and other advanced statistics in assessing a player’s candidacy. Rose is no longer the hot-button issue; we’ll talk this month about the Hall of Fame without constantly hearing his name.

Moral of the story: Like a rose, sports is always growing and evolving. It’s beautiful (classic Rose Bowl game); emotionally jarring (Bachelor Rose ceremony); and can be full of…thorns, too (Rose, cheaters, and the scandals that infiltrate the game).


This piece has been presented to you by SMU’s Master of Science in Sport Management.


Front Office Sports is a leading multi-platform publication and industry resource that covers the intersection of business and sports.

Want to learn more, or have a story featured about you or your organization? Contact us today.

https://upscri.be/f32ae1/

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Nov 15, 2024; Arlington, Texas, UNITED STATES; Mike Tyson (black gloves) fights Jake Paul (silver gloves) at AT&T Stadium.

Netflix Spectacle Made Tyson, Paul Top Trending U.S. Athletes of 2024: Google

The Yankees and Dodgers were among the top trending sports team searches in 2024.
Bluesky and Twitter

Why Bluesky Is Not a Serious Threat to Sports Twitter

Bluesky recently hit 23 million total users. That doesn’t touch X/Twitter.
Amazon-Thursday-Night-Football

How International Sports Streaming Rights Is ‘Trench Warfare’ Now

Netflix’s WWE deal could be a template for other leagues looking to go global.
Tigers Head Coach Brian Kelly as the LSU Tigers take on the Ole Miss Rebels at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, LA. Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024.

Source of LSU’s New Tiger Has History of Animal Abuse Allegations

LSU isn’t using the tiger that lives on campus for Saturday’s game.

Featured Today

Nov 2, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Detailed view of a Wilson NBA basketball held by a referee during the second half between the Utah Jazz against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena

‘Obvious Weak Point’: Refs Remain an NBA Gambling Concern

A season after Jontay Porter, the biggest risk may not be players.
Nov 2, 2024; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Michigan Wolverines cheerleader runs with a flag before the game against the Oregon Ducks at Michigan Stadium.
opinion
December 7, 2024

College Football’s Billionaire Backer Era Begins

Is this the new normal in CFB recruiting?
LA Galaxy forward Dejan Joveljic (9) celebrates with midfielder Riqui Puig (10) after scoring a goal against Seattle Sounders FC in the second half in the 2024 MLS Cup Western Conference Final match at Dignity Health Sports Park
December 6, 2024

With or Without Messi, Major League Soccer Is Barreling Into the Future

After the Cup final, the league looks to accelerate its growth.
Dec 18, 2022; Lusail, Qatar; FIFA president Gianni Infantino claps during the awards ceremony after the 2022 World Cup final between Argentina and France at Lusail Stadium.
December 2, 2024

FIFA Wants More Matches. Resistance Is Growing Inside the Global Soccer World

Resentment and frustration over expanded schedules is nearing a breaking point.
Sponsored

High Prices for High-Drama College Football Conference Championships

CFB’s new-look conferences—and title game matchups—are having a direct effect on demand for tickets.
Sponsored

Football’s Thanksgiving Day Ticket Feast

Several NFL and college football games on Thanksgiving and Black Friday are driving some eye-popping purchase prices.
Lane Kiffin
December 4, 2024

College Football Devolves Into Sniping As Playoff Bracket Nears

From Lane Kiffin to Jim Phillips, no one is holding back.
Sponsored

How UBS Crafts Impactful Partnerships Across Sports, Arts, and Culture

As UBS continues to expand its impressive array of sports and entertainment partnerships, the company solidifies its position as a leader in wealth management.
November 20, 2024

Deion Sanders Downplays NFL Smoke As Former Cowboys Lobby for Him

The Colorado coach says “I’ve got a kickstand down” in Boulder.
Linda McMahon salutes Trump at the RNC
November 19, 2024

Trump Taps WWE’s Linda McMahon to Run Education Dept. He Promised to..

McMahon would have significant influence over women’s college sports. 
Sponsored

Star Power Sells: Mahomes-Allen Showdown, NBA Cup

NFL and NBA purchase prices continue to climb as marquee matchups and star-powered appearances dominate the spotlight this week.
Sponsored

World Series Delivers High-Demand Marquee Matchup

The hype around the World Series matchup drove ticket prices to record levels—but the Dodgers’ dominance quickly quieted the fervor.